Literature and demographics - Essay Example

This essay "Literature and demographics" outlines the connection between demographics, social structure and literature. America has the most diverse demographics with a population of more than 400 million out of which 30 million individuals belong to different parts of the world (State). They speak numerous languages and practice different beliefs. Millions of new individuals arrive every year in the United States which ultimately makes the demographics of the country more appreciable. These diverse groups of people actually have a direct impact over the art and literature of the country.

Therefore the American literature is recognized as the most glamorous and exciting piece of art which perfectly portrays the lifestyle of people and the different modes of their culture. In broader terms the significant components of American demographics can be explained as following (State): • America is categorized among the most advanced nations with more than 50% urban population which indicates that the city life in the country has substantially more value than the rural life. • The population is around 2% i.e. in relation with the number of births per woman.

• The number of females is more than the number of males. Research indicates that there is a low birth rate of females as compared to males which is contributing to higher number of female population. • One-fourth of the population is under the age of 20 years. • There are people from all around the world i.e. from Arab countries, Europe, Africa, etc. The social structure is divided among different classes having different proportion as per the overall population. For instance, the capitalist constitute only 1% whereas upper middle class have 15% proportion of the population.

Apart from this the working class and the lower middle class have the highest percentage i.e. 30% In the 18th and 19th century the American population had a significant proportion of slaves although the concept of slavery was prevailing in the rural areas only however, it was also one of the major divisions of the social classes. With the economic and technological advancements the slaves ultimately diminished from the demographics of the America and what remained back does not constitute a greater proportion (Douglass).

“A Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” is the most distinctive and widely accepted piece of American literature which tells the real life story of a slave who later became world renowned author. The story basically demonstrates the demographics of early 19th century when slavery was extensively practiced in Maryland. It is located in the mid-Atlantic region of America, where some of the elite families used to live along with their slaves. These were the Native Americans masters and slaves were particularly recognized by their surnames.

The author has expressed his real experiences in the story which carry great authenticity. The social structure of Maryland at that time was divided among the elite class and slaves. There was no concept of working or middle class families. This was actually the driving force which compelled the masters to act highly ignorant towards their slaves. Frederick Douglass was born in a dark colored family which actually created lot problems in his life reflecting that there was a significant discrimination on the basis of color.

The gap between the two social classes was so wide that the black children were not